NHS forces city to add fluoride

Sankari

Sankari

Sankari

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Fluoride will be added to tap water in Southampton after health bosses voted through the plans despite protests.

It is the first time a health trust in England, rather than water companies, has been allowed to introduce fluoridation under new laws.

The idea has proved controversial with 72% of 10,000 respondents in a public consultation opposing the plan.

Despite the opposition, the South Central Strategic Health Authority (SCSHA) unanimously backed the move.

Southampton City Council was in favour, but Hampshire County Council was against the plan, which is designed to cut tooth decay and which will affect 200,000 people.

Jim Easton, the SCSHA chief executive, said: "We recognise that water fluoridation is a contentious issue for some people.

"The board was satisfied that, based on existing research, water fluoridation is a safe and effective way to improve dental health."

The SCSHA will now write to Southern Water instructing the firm to increase levels of fluoride from a natural 0.08 part per million to one part per million.

The Southampton City Primary Care Trust (PCT) said more than 40% of children in the area were suffering from tooth decay and the increase was desperately needed.
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Beeb.

This is interesting; I didn't know that the NHS had the power to introduce fluoridation.
 
Gilly said:
Why would anyone be against it?
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Yeah, we used to have it in the water in Cork when I lived there and it was just noral, it really does help your teeth and most people use flouride based toothpaste anyway so I can't see a big deal. Think of the children.
 
Because it's a chemical, all chemicals are bad (at least according to certain parts of the GP...who would probably try and ban dihydrogen monoxide if they could)
 
Werewolf said:
Because it's a chemical, all chemicals are bad (at least according to certain parts of the GP...who would probably try and ban dihydrogen monoxide if they could)
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I took flouride suppliments when I was a kid. Never had a filling until I was 16 and stopped taking them
 
Werewolf said:
try and ban dihydrogen monoxide if they could
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I honestly think that if they sent out a questionaire asking if people would like this in their tapwater there would be a high percentage who responded no.

The one thing i've learnt is that people are stupid and don't have a clue about a lot of things yet they still have a very strong opinion on them.
 
Evangelion said:
I would be too, but it doesn't say that only 10,000 people were consulted. It said that there were 10,000 respondents to the public consultation.
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I miss read that. I presume that the all the people that did not respond were treated as abstentions.
 
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